Tag: Greenbelt

faith

It’s Amazing, But It’s True

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So, about a week ago, I was thinking about some of the Nomad interviews that I’ve heard over the last few years, and I decided to listen again to one by Rowan Williams. (Becoming Natural N262)

I listened to the first part of it, and then got distracted. I’d just got back from the Greenbelt Festival where we had seen Bruce Cockburn, and I had his new album, ‘O Sun, O Moon’ on repeat. ‘Into the Now’ is currently my favourite track.

Anyway, this morning, I went for a run in Gloucester Park (trying to get back into some cardio exercise) and jumped back into the Rowan Williams interview. Some of what he was saying touched on the nature of God – to be free, not reactive but proactive, and to be the originator of diversity. As he talked about diversity, he used the example of a beam of light entering a prism and breaking up into different colours, the eternal light of God the Word coming throught the prism of creation and breaking up into all these brilliantly diverse realities, which is the world we’re in.

At the exact moment that he used this example, I saw, just to my right a marquee in rainbow colours. This weekend there are Pride celebrations in Gloucester and the park is being set up today for the event tomorrow.



Rowan Williams continued on the theme of diversity, and the various ways that human beings respond to the action of God. He used the example of pride, which we have often been taught is a bad thing – but it depends who you are talking about. It’s fine to say that pride is a bad thing if you are talking about Donald Trump (the example he used) but not so fine if you are talking about a schoolgirl inAfghanistan.

I suddenly had this memory of something similar happening … hearing someone talk about diversity, and seeing people dressed up for Pride celebrations …. then the penny dropped …

I had been listening to this very talk exactly one year ago, on the weekend of the Pride events in Gloucester Park.

It doesn’t surprise me any more, and in fact, I’m always looking out for it … to see God at work in the world around me and to remember that everything is connected.

Grace and peace.




Political

Following the Palestinian Kitchen

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Greenbelt … For the last 20 years, we’ve been making an annual pilgrimage to the Greenbelt Festival of Arts, Faith and Activism each August Bank Holiday. Sadly, it’s not happening this year, but there is an online mix of what Greenbelt has to offer in this year’s ‘Wild At Home.’

Craftivism … I love it when someone brings activism together with their other passions – as in Craftivism, described by Sarah Corbett, its founder as ‘Gentle protest to provoke reflection and respectful conversation instead of aggression and division’

https://craftivist-collective.com/

Cooking … Another example of this is Phoebe Rison’s Palestinian Kitchen – Personal, Political, Palestinian & Delicious. I watched her cooking this week on one of the latest Greenbelt ‘Wild At Home’ online events. ‘m currently trying to cook a few Palestinian dishes, so this video was perfect for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDHTwOSjE1c

Personal … What is even more exciting than the cooking, is the commentary from Phoebe and her mum Nadia. They talk clearly and powerfully telling their own personal stories. Sadly, a large part of that story is one of great hurt to the Palestinian people. You’ll have to look elsewhere to find out more, I’m not an authority on this subject, but what I do know is that the impact of Israeli land grabbing has caused much injustice.

Water … One of the issues that I wasn’t aware of until this week was the vital importance of water supply. In the UK, we take our water for granted, but I’m guessing that for a majority of the world’s population that is not the case. A major issue in the Jordan valley is access to water. What Palestinian farmers have to contend with is not only the increasing occupation by Israel, but Israel’s control of water. On the Youtube video above, Amost Trust director Chris Rose talks more about this – 34:40 into the video.

BDS … So to action. BDS stands for Boycotting, Divestment and Sanctions. Boycotting means not buying goods and services from any company that profits from the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Divestment is all about not investing in thse companies – so for someone like me that means writing to e.g. Government, Churches etc to lobby them to stop investing. Sanctions again means lobbying our government to put economic pressure on Israel.

Please … Have a think about all of this. Look at the Amost Trust website for example to see how a relatively small charity is making an impact for good on the day to lives of ordinary people.

Grace and peace.